


Giving Something To Share

by Ononymous



Series: Undertale Anniversary Requests 2018 [8]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 17:11:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: Tired of self-isolation, Flowey decides to visit the surface. There, he has no interactions with anyone, to possibly enormous consequence.





	Giving Something To Share

**Author's Note:**

> Original suggestion: Flowey's first sunrise
> 
> Also turned into a POV midquel to [A Problem Shared...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373032). Fitting, really.

"...so then I say to them all, I say 'I can't believe you're all so STUPID.' And that shut them up in a hurry. Well, I used my power to shut them up, but it's the same thing really. And then I took them, every single one, and, well, you all know what happened next."

Flowey's floral brethren made no indication they agreed with him. They didn't even laugh. They were always a tough crowd, but their repudiation got under his petals rather sharply today.

"Ugh, what am I doing here?"

_You know what you're doing here_ , said that voice. _His_ voice. 

"Yeah, I KNOW, but I'd like to FEEL like I know. This is your fault anyway." 

_You're right. It **IS** your fault. You chose this._

"...touche, crybaby." 

One skill he'd managed to cultivate since the barrier had broken was deeply probing his own base assumptions about the world. Being reminded of the worldview he once had made it surprisingly easy to explore the weak points of his psyche. That was a book, however, on its final chapter. Still, it was useful for breaking down that stupid idea that he could just shove all his regrets into one half of himself or the other. Useful to keep Frisk away, but nothing else. He was him. All of him. Except the parts he was missing. And he was missing them hard. But he was past being mad about it. He'd taken those frustrations out on the perpetrator. Repeatedly. 

"So then," he said to himself, "what would YOU do right now?" 

Oh, I'd probably cry about everything I did and then just go home and pretend that would fix anything and we'd all sit around ignoring the various elephants in the room- 

_Hey! Stop condensing your old life into a stereotype! That's how you lost track of yourself in the first place!_

"Make me. Since when were you the one in control?" 

Narrow grey eyes floated to the front of his mind. A small determined smile in spite of what he'd done. It should have been comforting. The fact it wasn't irritated him. 

"Hey, stop it!" 

_Make you._

"For the shattered remnants of my moral compass, you play dirty." 

_Hee hee hee!_

"Alright, I'm sorry I ignored the intricate subtleties of the nuanced tapestry that was my life before I screwed up and ruined everything!" 

_That's better._

"Well golly, what are you gonna do with your moral victory?" 

_...there's not much to do with it._

Flowey agreed. And some of the books in the librarby had hinted doing this too much was probably just as unhealthy as his previous coping mechanisms. Though the unhealthiness was not spread around like it was before. 

"Screw it," he said suddenly, "I'm going outside." 

_What? You promised Frisk..._

"Uh, no, read the tickertape report properly. He told them-" 

_**YOU** told them._

"Ugh, _I_ told them I was staying put. Did I say forever?" 

_...no._

"And be honest with me, Me. Do you see anything productive going on here?" 

_...not really._ There was a begrudging tone in the admission. 

"If I don't shake things up, I'm gonna end up being just as engaging as these guys. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll stay out of sight. Papyrus need not fear my sinister machinations. Deal?" 

_Alright..._

Flowey vanished from his audience, gliding through the soil like air. His sense of direction was impeccable, honed over thousands of hours of practice which no longer existed. This way to Snowdin, around this root cluster was a shortcut to Waterfell, feel the warmth conducted though the earth to go to Hotland... No, not today. Today was a route he'd only tried once before. 

It hadn't been quite the same as having his limbs, but early on this burrowing ability had actually been entertaining. He'd held races with other monsters, winning handily. Except when he raced Papyrus, that skeleton had a knack for getting there first no matter how hard Flowey pushed. And even though his parents had told him stories about how they had tried it long ago, he took his own shot at simply digging his way out of Mount Ebott. Perhaps the fact he had successfully crossed the barrier before bolstered his confidence. But it was a false high. In the currency of souls he was truly bankrupt, and it felt like the barrier resisted his efforts even harder than normal monsters. That wouldn't be a problem today. 

Not that nothing happened when he reached the old threshold. His stem tingled as he sliced through the soil, as if the fragments knew who had vanquished it and sought a feeble vengeance. Its puny reprisal actually gave him a spasm of schadenfreude, urging him on. Okay, he should be clear of the mountain by now. Time to surface and... 

"It's still dark? What the hell?" 

_Look!_

He did. There were no black rocks above him, but an inky blue, as pinpricks of light were fading as the hue of the sky steadily brightened. He was in a cluster of trees. In the twilight he made out the leaves. Not the dead orange of the tree of his old home, but a vibrant green. If not for his face he might have fit in. 

_The sky is brightest over there!_

Flowey obeyed himself, zooming across the floor of the woods until he was at the edge of a vast plain, flanked by hills, but funnelling his vision towards where a colony of pink was slowly growing above the horizon. It all sparked really confused memories, but he'd never had the chance to appreciate the previous jaunt above ground, being internally distracted and divided. Now it captured his full attention. A second wave of colonists followed the pink, the sky now had an advancing tide of gold. And finally... 

It was the warmth he registered first. Not the harsh and abrasive warmth of Hotland, but softer, more caring. He couldn't reciprocate, but there was nothing to complain about. The feeling filled him up, like he was in his proper environment for the first time in forever. It was only then he appreciated what he was seeing, a dazzling disc of light drifting slowly higher into the sky. He heard birds roused by the dawn, beginning their own day. At least for a while, he felt peace. 

"Let me guess. You'd- I'd be crying at this, huh?" 

_Probably..._

If he wanted, he could have complained about how this didn't change anything, how it wasn't making him really happy, how the comfort of the sunlight did nothing to address the aching gaps in himself. But the majesty of the morning put him at ease, at least for a while. He stood as still as his brethren in the Underground for hours, just watching the sun climb higher and higher. Human literature banished to Waterfall implied staring at the sun was bad for their eyes, but whether monsters were unaffected or because he was a flower, it caused no trouble at all. It was only his own restless impulse that tore his gaze away at last, the time spent not really registering with him. 

He had a simplistic imagination of what the valley would have looked like in daylight, a monogreen carpet. He was wrong. An explosion of colour met him. A city of cellulose he could fit into seamlessly if he wanted. All sorts of flowers, even more than in the throne room. 

"Maybe I should set up a holiday home here..." 

He darted around the wildflowers. Red and green and orange and blue and... Oh. Yellow. 

He met his twin. Another golden flower. Intellectually it wasn't surprising, they'd come from the surface after all, but when meeting someone his own size, the spite kept in check by the majesty of this experience broke through. 

"Look pal, can't you leave me alone? I just want to forget, well, _this_ -" he flexed his stem "-for a while. Can't I get some relief?" 

His taunter glared blankly and malevolently. 

"Get lost!" His head bashed into the offending flower, taking out the frustration on something felt good. 

_Stop it,_ he pleaded to himself, _you're hurting it!_

"He won't feel it and you know it!" 

_That doesn't make any sense!_

"It doesn't have to, I'm angry!" 

Vines were brought to blow now. The negative catharsis of venting. He'd missed this, even though he knew he shouldn't. Much like the sun, the time he spent here wasn't properly recorded in his head, so he wasn't sure how long he'd been at it when he finally let up. The flower was in bad shape, head bowing with slightly torn petals, like it had been smothered and starved rather than attacked. It probably wouldn't make it without help, but this victory wasn't enough for Flowey's spite. He prepared to grab its roots and- 

_Wait, do you hear that?_

He did. Footsteps. Honest to goodness ones. Either a human's or a really large monster's. Not wanting to risk the latter, he submerged into the earth and rocketed past the labyrinth of roots, until he found the larger sturdier ones of the trees. Clear of immediate danger of detection, curiosity ordered him to look back at the field from behind a tree. 

_You..._

"You..." 

It was Frisk. The smile on their face revealed not a care in the world. They'd moved on. Just like he wanted them to do. Just like he hadn't wanted them to do. They didn't have a terrible yearning when looking at flowers, they could just enjoy the colours and smells... 

Their smile vanished, and suddenly they very much looked like he felt. From their position, Flowey realised they had discovered his victim. They briefly looked in his direction, and instinctively he ducked away. Stem against the trunk, he looked past the other trees, and saw a cave entrance. Where it must lead clicked. Frisk hadn't spotted him, they'd spotted where they'd first met him. 

Risking another recon, Frisk was knelt among the flowers, though what they were doing wasn't clear. After a few minutes they stood up. The damaged flower was in their hands with as much soil as they could carry, and now they were hurrying back to the path that straddled the edge of the trees, prompting Flowey to glide back. Without having to think about it, he understood clearly what all this meant. 

"So you haven't moved on. You didn't let go. You... You..." 

_You idiot..._

* * *

"...so then they scoop the poor guy up and run away! Probably to go crying to the King or something. What kind of idiot cries over a flower?" 

Flowey's audience could not answer his question. 

_They'll probably visit here again, you know. They'll be thinking about you, for sure._

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna see them." 

_They may have already. Perhaps they reset-_

"Hope I told them to piss off if they did." 

_No you don't._

"Look, crybaby, I told you. Me, whatever. Nothing is gonna change!" 

That was when it changed. 

" _Uck! Wh-_ " 

It was a flicker, it lasted maybe a couple of seconds, but an avalanche of sensation crashed into Flowey, overwhelming him. Then it was gone as soon as it arrived, but the memory of it was raw. Like the memory of the feelings he'd briefly regained. 

Feeling might not have been the right word for what happened, but it was a sensation. The shock was he had completely forgotten it existed, it had been so long. A connection. Like many things he had taken for granted, it was something he never noticed in his old life, a natural part of life and growing up, especially for him. But it had not reawoken with him, it remained shattered as he crumpled into dust. But there it was, now fully intact, but dormant. His stunned mind couldn't figure out how or why, but it had flared briefly, and force fed him something. And _those_ were the feelings. Not his own, but those of whoever lay at the other end. He dug greedily through the packet. Shock. Disbelief. Grief and guilt, eternally entwined. Then hope. And finally affection. Not just for who he'd been hugging, but for- wait, he'd been hugging someone? Yes, someone so small, it was like when he used to be hugged by- 

_Oh..._ The voice was nervous. 

"Frisk," he screeched, expelling the rage that had popped into existence which proceeded to bounce around the cavern in echos, "what did you tell them?!" 

_We k-know what they must have said, we f-felt it. He took it hard. But... Da-_

" **DAMMIT!** " Vines slapped against the cavern wall as two powerful feelings clashed, anger and fear. You promised, Frisk! You promised him! Me! You! I don't care anymore! I can't care! And obviously Frisk doesn't, they just wanna make them miserable!" 

_Don't run away into how you were before you met them, you know that's not-_

"And _you!_ Get lost!" 

_That wouldn't work even if you wanted it to._

Flowey spent ten minutes trying with all his might to banish himself. To an outside observer, only his face distinguished him from the other flowers, as there was absolute stillness. 

"...damn." 

_Told you so. They'll definitely come now, Frisk can't stop him now._

"And I bet you're super pleased about that." 

_...no. I'm s-scared..._

"Then I'm not gonna be around when they turn up. They shoulda _LET GO_." He turned to his audience. "See ya, guys!" 

The guys continued to see him. Despite his proclamation, Flowey did not leave. 

"What... what's going on? Why can't I-? Are YOU doing this?!" 

_No._ Flowey believed it. _You are the one refusing to leave._

"Huh? Why the hell would I stay around here? So Frisk proved they couldn't keep a promise, this changes nothing! So, uh... wh-why am I frozen? I'm... I don't want to... to let go-" 

_You do. And yet you don't, too._

"I feel like- I felt... I _felt_... because he knew..." 

_B-but nothing will change._ The fear was thickening. _Their hearts will break again and-_

"HEY! Pick up your half full glass this instant, I'm the pessimist here! And I'm sure that... that..." 

"..." was the only thing Flowey was certain of. The whirlwind of thoughts had some curious gaps owing to his unique mental state, but their absence was currently not aching. 

_So wh-what do we do? If they try something and it doesn't work..._

His petals tilted towards the ground, looking this way and that. 

"Then... it'll be funny!" 

_Huh?_

"Damage is already done, crybaby." He rose to his full height, a mischievous smile on his face. "They know now. So maybe I'll play along. And then when it all goes to hell and I'm exactly the same, their heartbreak might be worth some laughs!" He cashed this check early, starting chuckling with a slightly malevolent air. 

_...Liar._

The laughter stopped, the confident post retreated. The smile was still there, but it was lacked reinforcement as his eyes started darting this way and that, uncertainty at the upheavals headed his way. 

"It's like you said... like I said... we felt... I want it... please... I'm tired..." Psychic sniffles rebounded in his head, steadying his own thoughts. "Okay, you're making this weird. Weirder, even." 

_...maybe... I was wrong..._

"' _I_ '? Bad habit, Azzy." 

A brief chuckle, and another sniffle. _Yeah. We're full of those. But... the damage is done, like you said. Whether you were right to stay away or not, they'll come here regardless. You have to decide whether you truly let go._

The two voices focused on the exact center of the flower bed. Neither was entirely sure what the third inhabitant of the cavern might have said - especially since the barrier broke - but the flower continued looking, as if asking for advice once more time. None came. And then he didn't need the advice. 

"...it would be nice to feel it again. Even if only for another moment. Might be worth a shot. There, feel happy about that?" 

_Technically I can't feel anything you can't._

"Heh, you're getting more like me. Makes sense, I guess." 

_Hee hee hee!_

"I'm still mad at Frisk for telling, though. Can I glare really angrily like I'm about to kill them when they get here?" 

_I wouldn't have it any other way._

And so he waited. 

**Author's Note:**

> Pastebin Version: https://pastebin.com/bgi2vxXH
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
